Eco-towns

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of eco-my towns to (a) rural housing, (b) sustainable rural communities and (c) growth in the rural economy.

Richard Benyon: To date, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has made no separate assessment of the potential contribution of eco-towns to rural housing, sustainable rural communities, and to growth in the rural economy.
	Eco-towns are just one option for achieving sustainable development and can play a key role in testing and demonstrating, through their scale, greater levels of innovation in sustainability and meeting local housing need. Learning from these locally-led developments as they progress will be of interest to the Government.

Afghanistan: Females

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan and the involvement of women in all discussions concerning the future of Afghanistan at the Bonn conference in December 2011.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will discuss the political process and the need for an inclusive political settlement which addresses the needs of all Afghan citizens, including women at the Bonn conference.

Departmental Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: It would incur disproportionate cost to count the number of photographs taken of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and officials across the world which could be used in a publication. Our photos are published on our website
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/
	and flickr channels
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/fco-websites/flickr/
	Photographs for publications are usually taken from this library.
	Every year, the FCO holds or participates in hundreds of high profile meetings and events, for example with visiting foreign ministers. A member of staff takes photos at these events and for other FCO business. This is more cost effective than employing external contractors to carry out this work on an ad hoc basis. Staff in our overseas network of posts take photographs of events and visits but details are not held centrally.

Departmental Travel

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on first class travel by (a) air, (b) boat and (c) train since May 2010.

David Lidington: Budgets in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are delegated to directorates and our global network of posts, but we hold central records on the information requested as follows: (a) £7,624, (b) nil and (c) £1,640. These figures relate to staff and ministerial travel.
	There has been no expenditure on first-class air travel since the introduction of the new Ministerial Code on 21 May 2010. All travel by Ministers and staff is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.

EU Law

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs into which measures the UK has exercised an opt-in under EU legislative arrangements since May 2010; and which further such measures have been proposed in that period in respect of which the possibility of a UK opt-in has arisen.

David Lidington: The UK has exercised an opt-in on 15 EU legislative arrangements since May 2010. 12 further measures were proposed during that period in which the possibility of an opt-in arose, but were not exercised.
	Opt-in statistics :
	Total since Lisbon treaty (December 2009 to present): 39
	Opt-in: 21
	Did not opt-in: 15
	Schengen: Did not opt-out: 3
	Schengen: Opted-out: 0
	Current Government (May 2010 to present): 29
	Opt-in: 15
	Did not opt-in: 12
	Schengen: Did not opt-out: 2
	Schengen; Opted-out: 0
	JHA measures the current Government has opted into:
	(1) European Investigation Order—published April 2010
	(2) Human trafficking—published March 2010
	(3) Sexual exploitation of children—published March 2010
	(4) Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP)—published June 2010
	(5) EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement—published April 2010
	(6) EU-Georgia Readmission Agreement—published May 2010
	(7) Letter of Rights—published July 2010
	(8) Attacks against information systems (cybercrime) Directive—published September 2010
	(9) Recast EURODAC Regulation—published October 2010
	(10) Brussels I—published December 2010
	(11) Legal protection of services based on, or consisting of, conditional access—published December 2010
	(12) EU Passenger Name Records—published February 2011
	(13) EU-Australia Passenger Name Records—published May 2011
	(14) Victims Directive—published May 2011
	(15) Regulation on mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters (Civil European Protection Order)—May 2011
	JHA measures the current Government has not opted into:
	(1) Interpretation and Translation—published March 2010
	(2) EU-Swiss agreement—published June 2010
	(3) Intra-Corporate Transferees Directive—published July 2010
	(4) Seasonal Workers Directive—published July 2010
	(5) Amendment to EEA Agreement—published September 2010
	(6) Cross border enforcement of road traffic offences directive —published December 2010
	(7) 2x directives:
	1. Proposal on Matrimonial Property Regimes—published March 2011
	2. Proposal on Property Consequences of Registered Partnerships—published March 2011
	(8) 2x directives
	1. Directives on asylum reception conditions—published June 2011—HO lead
	2. Directive on procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection—published June 2011—HO lead
	(9) Directive on Access to a lawyer—published June 2011
	(10) Proposal creating a European Account Preservation Order—published July 2011
	Schengen measures the current Government has not opted-out of:
	(1) Arrangement between the EU and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on the Schengen acquis—published March 2010
	(2) Establishment of an IT Agency for the operational management of large scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice—published March 2010
	The Government have not opted-out of any Schengen measures to which the UK’s Schengen Opt-out Protocol has applied

Pitcairn Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last 10 years.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains a permanent presence on Pitcairn Island in the form of the Governor's Representative. In addition, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development regularly travel to Pitcairn Island. The New Zealand based Governor and Deputy Governor normally visit on an annual basis and the last visit by an official in this Department was in March of this year. Exact figures for visits by officials in each of the last 10 years are, however, not readily available.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation in areas where the Lord's Resistance Army is active.

Henry Bellingham: We assess that although the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has not carried out any large scale attacks recently, it continues to pose an unprincipled and violent threat to civilian populations in all areas where it is active. Furthermore, the LRA remains a destabilising force due to the number of civilian displacements that it has caused (which, according to the UN, number over 440,000 people across the region since their campaign began).

Departmental Official Photograph

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: A portrait photograph was taken of incoming Ministers in May 2010. These were taken professionally and paid for personally by Ministers.
	As part of this Government's drive to improve transparency 105 photographs of senior officials and the Department's Non-Executive Directors have been taken for publication on the Department's website. Photographs of senior officials and Non-Executive Directors are taken by a member of staff as part of their duties.
	When accompanying Ministers on official business, Communications Directorate officials occasionally take a camera to record the event at no extra cost; sometimes these pictures will include images of Ministers and senior officials.
	In previous years for which costs are available, departmental spend on official ministerial photography, funded by the public purse, was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 939.25 
			 2008-09 445 
			 2007-08 794 
			 2006-07 470

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the build now, pay later policy in Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement of 21 November 2011, Official Report, columns 43-45, where I announced the publication of "Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England". In this I set out the Government's commitment to maximise the use of Build Now, Pay Later on as much formerly-used Government land as possible, where there is market demand, it is affordable, and it presents value for money for the taxpayer.
	The use of Build Now, Pay Later to accelerate the release of surplus public land, including in the Peterborough city council area, will be decided on a site by site basis, taking account of site specific issues.

Local Government: Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the use of check-off arrangements by local authorities for the payment of (a) trade union subscriptions and (b) the political levy; whether local authorities are required to provide such a facility; and whether the cost to local authorities of administering such arrangements may be recovered from trade unions.

Bob Neill: Employment decisions are a matter for local determination by councils as employers. At a time when all councils need to make sensible savings to protect their front line services, they should ensure that arrangements for collecting union subscriptions do not burden taxpayers. They should also consider making an appropriate local administration charge to trade union branches for providing this service or simply exercise their right not to offer this facility.
	In due course, the Cabinet Office will be producing a policy paper on the use of facility time and how it can be reformed and reduced within the civil service. Subsequently, the Department for Communities and Local Government will provide guidance to local councils to help inform their own reviews on this matter.

Regional Planning and Development: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has considered bringing forward proposals to facilitate tax increment financing models in (a) Peterborough and (b) the East of England; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Government have confirmed that we will introduce Tax Increment Financing powers, enabling councils to borrow against future increases in business rates to fund the provision of infrastructure, and to unlock additional economic growth.
	The Government's consultation on the local retention of business rates set out two broad options to enable the implementation of Tax Increment Finance. This consultation closed on 24 October.
	The Government will set out final proposals later this year, and will introduce the necessary legislation for the retention of business rates and Tax Increment Financing through the forthcoming Local Government Finance Bill.

Right to Buy Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on rent levels for local authority homes of the planned increase in right to buy discounts.

Grant Shapps: Increasing Right to Buy discounts and reversing the last Government's policy of making cuts to the Right to Buy will have no effect on the social rents of any local authority tenant.

Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which trades unions receive (a) subscription and (b) political levy payments from his Department using a check-off arrangement; and whether his Department charges trades unions an administration fee for collecting trade unions subscriptions through its payroll;
	(2)  how many staff of his Department pay their trade union subscriptions to each union recognised by his Department using a check-off arrangement; and how many such payments involved payment of the political levy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Prospect, PCS and the FDA trade unions receive subscription fees from the Department for Communities and Local Government using check-off arrangements. The following table shows the number of staff paid through these arrangements in October 2011. The Department does not charge an administration fee for collecting subscriptions through its payroll.
	
		
			  Number 
			 FDA 4 
			 Prospect 13 
			 PCS 771 
		
	
	As the payment of the levy is a matter between the individual and the trade union, this information is not held by the Department.
	As I noted in my answer of 9 September 2011, Official Report, column 867W, there is a lack of transparency on the political levy, as some trade unions fail to inform their members of the fact that they are being charged the levy when they join, and they make no reference of the right to opt-out on membership forms. As the deposited paper associated with that answer illustrates, these membership forms also act as the employee's authorisation for the union subscription to be deducted from the departmental payroll.
	However, details of which trade unions have political funds and collect a political levy are publicly listed in the annual returns on the Certification Officer website:
	http://www.certoffice.org/Nav/Trade-Unions/Active.aspx
	Check-off is a voluntary arrangement, and employers have no statutory duty either to operate it at all, or to continue to do so have started. Employers may also choose to charge the union for the administration involved in providing the service of collection the union subscriptions.
	Ministers are open to representations on whether an administration fee should be charged for collection of trade union subscriptions through the departmental payroll, or whether the check-off arrangements should operate at all, as opposed to the administration effectively being subsidised by taxpayers.

Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether full-time departmental trade union representatives employed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are entitled to claim paid overtime from their employer.

Bob Neill: The general overtime provisions for the Department and its agencies is that overtime should be resorted to only in periods of exceptional pressure of work. Overtime must be authorised in advance. All excess working must comply with the requirements of the working time regulations.
	This applies to all staff including trade union representatives.
	I am not aware of the Department's trade union representatives requesting or being granted any overtime.

Children: Protection

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance includes a response to issues of child neglect.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government response to Professor's Eileen Munro's review of child protection committed to revising the statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families’, by July 2012.
	Evidence shows that preventative services do more to reduce abuse and neglect than reactive services. The Government's vision for a child-centred system includes providing effective help when a problem arises at any stages in a child's life. Timeliness in the early identification of a child's needs and provision of help is key in providing the effective support that is needed. We are working closely with the Association of Directors of Children's Services to find the most appropriate route for local areas to identify, early, children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm; provide sufficient and appropriate early help services for vulnerable children and families; and improve the effectiveness of multi agency co-ordination and working.
	The full revision to ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ will address issues of neglect and the principles of effective multi agency response which is critical to delivering timely and effective early help to improve outcomes for children and families. The Government have committed to work in partnership with the sector to revise ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and a full, formal consultation will commence from early 2012. A multi-disciplinary Professional Advisory Group has been convened and is advising on proposed revisions to the statutory guidance.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department aims to answer named day questions on the date specified by the Member. Where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, the Department believes it will normally be preferable to provide an answer a question late, rather than provide an incomplete answer.
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Month due On time Five days late Six to 10 days late 11 to 20 days late 21 to 30 days late Over 30 days 
			 2010       
			 June 15 20 20 12 5 10 
			 July 10 17 13 26 4 52 
			 September 5 4 3 11 3 20 
			 October 3 2 9 26 23 14 
			 November 15 19 35 36 26 32 
			 December 4 3 10 19 19 53 
			        
			 2011       
			 January 2 8 30 23 13 39 
			 February 6 1 5 25 9 32 
			 March 27 45 14 13 2 0 
			 April 24 11 3 11 2 0 
			 May 24 21 8 16 4 3 
			 June 25 19 30 11 2 0 
			 July 33 21 8 2 4 3 
			 September 14 16 5 0 7 9 
			 October 6 12 15 8 0 0 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department aims to answer named day questions on the date specified by the Member, and ordinary parliamentary questions within five sitting days. Where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, the Department believes it will normally be preferable to provide an answer a question late, rather than provide an incomplete answer.
	The Department for Education has received 4,765 written parliamentary questions for reply since May 2010. Of these, 232 ordinary written parliamentary questions and 57 named day parliamentary questions remained unanswered for a period of two months.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Education: Armed Forces

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the range and level of educational qualifications offered to armed forces recruits aged 16 to 18 and their conformity with the minimum standards recommended by the Wolf Review of Vocational Education.

Nick Gibb: No recent discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on this issue. The Department is aware that the armed forces provide access to a range of general and vocational qualifications at different levels to those serving in the armed forces, including recruits aged 16 to 18.
	The Wolf Review of Vocational Education outlined specific recommendations for 16 to 18-year-olds that included setting out general principles, rather than minimum standards, for the study programmes of 16 to 18-year-olds on full-time vocational courses. It is recognised that arrangements for 16 to 18-year-olds on work-based programmes, including those in the armed forces, will be different to those in full-time or part-time education. We are currently consulting on the principles that will guide the provision of study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds, including for those young people on work-based programmes, and we will set out our response in spring 2012.

Runaway Children

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a national network to provide assistance for children who run away.

Tim Loughton: It is the responsibility of local authorities to provide services and targeted support to safeguard the young and the vulnerable, including those who run away from home or care.
	The Department takes this issue very seriously and will be revising the statutory guidance for local authorities on children who run away or go missing from home or care to ensure that it is easily accessible and, most importantly, helpful for schools, local authorities and children's services.
	The Department will also work to ensure that there is a clear distinction in the upcoming Missing Persons Strategy about the situation of children and young people who run away. In addition, the 'Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan' published oh 23 November, highlights that certain factors in a child's life, such as running away from home or experience of domestic violence, can make them more vulnerable to being sexually exploited and should be safeguarded.

Air Passenger Duty

Michael Connarty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) level of receipts from air passenger duty and (b) revenue from the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012-13.

Chloe Smith: The Office of Budget Responsibility revenue forecasts for all air passenger duty and EU Emissions Trading Scheme receipts were set out on page 92 of the Budget 2011 document.

Autumn Statement

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish alongside his Autumn Statement a document assessing the impact upon Britain's economic competitiveness of each measure announced in the Statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Autumn Statement is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne’s) response to the Economic and Fiscal Outlook which will be published by the Office of Budget Responsibility on 29 November.
	In line with their commitment to transparency, the Government now publishes detailed information on measures which will have a fiscal impact, including in its “policy costings” documents, which are available on the HM Treasury website.

Child Care Tax Credit

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families that will lose childcare support if the minimum number of hours worked to qualify for help with childcare costs is increased.

David Gauke: No estimates have been made as there are no plans to increase the minimum number of hours worked to qualify for help with child care costs. Under current arrangements, those eligible for working tax credit must work a minimum of 16 hours a week in order to qualify for support with child care costs.
	Under universal credit, to be introduced over the next two Parliaments, the Government will extend support with child care costs to those working fewer than 16 hours, allowing 80,000 additional families, who are currently not eligible for this support, to receive help with child care costs. This will give second earners and lone parents, typically women, a stronger incentive to work.

Economic Policy

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to regional economic and employment conditions in developing his economic strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: In the decade prior to the 2008 financial crisis, economic growth was unbalanced across the UK, concentrated in the south-east, with some parts of the country increasingly reliant on jobs funded by public spending.
	The Government have set out in the ‘Plan for Growth’ the need to return the UK economy to sustainable economic growth that is more balanced across the UK and sectors.
	The Government have taken key initiatives to support growth locally and in the regions, by introducing 22 new enterprise zones in England; allocating £450 million of investment in the first round and 950 million in the second round of the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund; providing £500 million to local enterprise partnerships through the Growing Places Fund and considering powerful incentives for local authorities to go for growth through the Local Government Resource Review.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what calculations his Department makes to ascertain the effect of levels of fuel duty on (a) young people and (b) rural dwellers;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph C.57 of page 233 of the 2009 Budget Report, how much the Exchequer received from fuel duty in each month since April 2008;
	(3)  what calculations his Department has made to ascertain the effect increasing fuel prices have on (a) the level of inflation, (b) the economy and (c) levels of employment.

Chloe Smith: The Government's taxation decisions including on fuel duty support their objective to achieve strong, sustainable growth. Budget 2011 reduced fuel duty by 1p per litre, abolished the fuel duty escalator and replaced it with a fair fuel stabiliser. As of 1 April 2011, young people and rural dwellers could have benefited from average pump prices being 6p per litre lower as a result of these changes compared to the previous Government's fuel duty plans.
	Fuel price effects on inflation, the economy and employment are assessed by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of its economic and fiscal forecasts:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk
	The OBR's next Economic and fiscal outlook will be published on 29 November 2011.
	Fuel duty receipts are published in table 3 of the UK Trade Info Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the proportion of (a) businesses operating PAYE which make all their salary payments directly into bank accounts through the BACS system and (b) individuals in PAYE whose salaries are paid directly into their bank accounts through the BACS system.

David Gauke: The Payments Council reports that 90% of salary payments are made via Bacs Direct Credit. That figure includes payments made by remote banking methods such as internet banking. HMRC estimate that around 100,000 organisations make payments subject to PAYE using a Bacs Service User Number and that those payments represent approximately 80% of payments to individuals in PAYE.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many compliance officers were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in March (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many he expects to be employed in March 2012;
	(2)  how many HM Revenue and Customs staff were employed in anti-evasion and avoidance roles in March (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many he expects to be employed in such activities in March 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC does not employ people under the role profiles of anti-evasion or avoidance. Staff are engaged in compliance activities and this can cover a wide range of roles. The main business area to carry out compliance related work is enforcement and compliance. In March 2010 enforcement and compliance employed 26,863 staff, in March 2011 25,475 and 26,950 are expected to be employed in March 2012.

Arrest Warrants: EU Nationals

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times her Department has used the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) to extradite a non-UK EU citizen resident in another member state to stand trial or complete a detention period in each year since the EAW has been operational to date for each type of offence; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland are the designated UK authorities responsible for processing European Arrest Warrants (EAWs). Information is held on Part 1 cases (persons wanted from the UK by another member state) and Part 3 cases (persons wanted by the UK from another member state).
	Information on the number of individuals surrendered to the UK under an EAW by offence type and by nationality is only available from April 2009 due to a change in the way data was recorded from this date. For cases before this date, a manual examination of files would have to take place. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	In 2009-10 24 surrenders took place of a non-UK EU national from another EU member state to the UK. A breakdown of the offences and nationalities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2009-10 
			  Offence  
			 Nationality Fraud GBH Rape Child Sex Offences Robbery Drugs Murder Theft Immigration Other Total 
			 Belgium 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Cyprus — 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Denmark 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Germany — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Ireland — — 2 1 1 — — — — — 4 
			 Netherlands 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — — 3 
			 Poland 1 — — 1 — 1 1 1 — 1 6 
			 Portugal — — — — 1 — — — — — 1 
			 Romania — 3 — — — — — — 3 — 6 
			 Total 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 2 24 
		
	
	In 2010-11 47 surrenders took place of a non-UK EU national from another EU member state to the UK. A breakdown of the offences and nationalities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Offence  
			 Nationality Fraud GBH Rape Child Sex Offences Robbery Drugs Murder Theft Money laundering Other Total 
			 Belgium 2 — — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Czech Republic — — 1 — — — — — — 1 2 
			 Estonia 1 — — — 1 — — — — — 2 
			 France — 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — 3 
			 Ireland 1 1 1 3 1 1 — — — 2 10 
			 Italy 1 — — — — — — 1 — — 2 
			 Lithuania — 1 — — — — 3 — — — 4 
			 Malta 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Netherlands — 1 — — — 10 — 1 1 — 13 
			 Poland 1 — — — — — — — — 1 2 
			 Portugal — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 Romania 3 1 — — — — — — — — 4 
			 Spain — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Total 10 5 2 4 2 11 4 3 1 6 47 
		
	
	Due to the way that the data are recorded, it is not possible for these figures to be broken down by the number returned to stand trial or complete a detention period in each year without a manual examination of each individual case file. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy cases concern asylum seekers resident in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) North West Cambridgeshire constituency who are not (i) awaiting prosecution, (ii) awaiting removal and (iii) subject to ongoing litigation.

Damian Green: holding answer 25 November 2011
	A total of 15 people are resident in Peterborough constituency who do not meet the criteria under (i), (ii) or (iii) above. A total of five people are resident in North West Cambridgeshire constituency who do not meet the criteria under (i), (ii) or (iii) above. This data are sourced from a local management team and should be treated as provisional.

Cybercrime

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has allocated to prevention of and mitigation against cyber security incidents in 2011-12.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for Cyber Security.
	This Government have recognised the real and increasing risk to the UK's national security from cyber attack and assessed cyber attacks as a Tier 1 threat in the National Security Strategy. This is why we have put in place a £650 million, four-year National Cyber Security Programme between 2011 and 2014.
	This funding is intended to transform the Government's response to cyber threats, and has been allocated to those Departments and agencies that have key roles to play.
	The Office for Cyber Security and Information Assurance supports the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the National Security Council in providing strategic direction and co-ordination to enhance cyber security and information assurance in the UK.
	We published the new Cyber Security Strategy on 25 November which sets out in more detail specific measures to prevent and mitigate against cyber security incidents affecting the UK.

Health: Animal Testing

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer to Baroness Parminter of 4 October 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1014, on health: animal testing, what her policy is on the transposition of EU directive 2010/63/EU into UK law.

Lynne Featherstone: The new European directive provides a valuable and timely opportunity to update UK legislation governing experiments on animals, to confirm the best aspects of current regulation and to make improvements where we can do better. It will also help us to promote the development of alternatives and allow us to remove unnecessary bureaucracy where it still exists building on the significant improvements we have already made in the day to day implementation of current regulations while maintaining our high welfare standards.

Metals: Theft

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have attended of the ACPO Conductive Metal Theft Working Group.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Home Office is represented at the Association of Chief Police Officers Metal Theft Working Group by officials. Ministers do not attend.

Heathrow Airport

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether competition levels are a consideration in the allocation of slots at Heathrow airport.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of any competition issues from one airline group holding the majority of slots at Heathrow Airport.

Theresa Villiers: I have been asked to reply.
	I would refer the hon. Member to my written answer given today to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr Hamilton), (UIN 80520, 80522 and 80523) in relation to the proposed sale of the airline BMI.

Science: Higher Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research he has commissioned on the effect on the number of courses in STEM subjects of the Government's decision to remove limits on student numbers at university for those achieving AAB grades or higher at A level; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper, "Students at the Heart of the System", published in June this year, BIS Ministers wrote to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) setting out priorities for funding which include the additional costs associated with high cost subjects and strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS), which includes some STEM subjects. Ministers will give their final instructions to HEFCE in the 2012-13 grant letter, due at the turn of the year.
	In October HEFCE published a document which sets out their decisions on the setting of student number control limits for 2012-13; this document stated that funding for provision of strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS) will be excluded from the pro-rata cut of 20,000 places to create a flexible margin of places that higher education institutions can bid for.
	As all English universities are private autonomous institutions that are independently run, it is for them to make their own decisions about the courses they will provide; their admissions policy; how to implement their own funding strategies; and to make the necessary decisions to ensure they are responsive to student choice and that their institutions can continue to flourish.

Apprentices

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 2, what progress his Department's contractors have made in employing 5% of apprentices.

Chris Grayling: All new DWP contracts (from June 2010) include an Apprenticeships and Skills Requirements contract schedule. This schedule requires suppliers to provide an initial written report (six months after the contract start date) and then annually thereafter. The report must reflect all subcontractors involved in delivery of the contract and provide details on:
	the number of existing apprentices involved in delivery of the contract;
	the number of new starts on apprenticeships initiated as a result of delivery of the contract;
	actions being taken to try and improve the take-up of apprenticeships in the contractors’ workforce;
	other training/development being undertaken by contractors' staff involved in delivery of the contract.
	The Department is currently putting in place processes with its contractors for the collation of the data relating to the number of apprentices engaged in connection with our contracts with them. Once these processes are established, the Department will be in a position to report on such data in addition to being able to provide clearer visibility of the progress its contractors are making in this respect.
	However, the information that we have received to date shows 1,979 apprentices employed by our top 21 suppliers in delivering goods and services to the Department.
	In addition DWP also have a Supplier Charter which details some of the key targets, policies and principles that DWP expect their suppliers to contribute towards. One of the principles is apprenticeships and skills development in the workforce. All 45 of DWP’s critical suppliers have signed, and committed to, the Supplier Charter.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2011, Official Report, column 348W, on Housing Benefit (Scotland), whether his Department plans to begin collecting information on the number of private sector landlords that have agreed to reduce rents in return for an arrangement that housing benefit be paid direct to them; when any such collection will begin; and when any resulting information will be made available.

Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
	One element of the research is a survey of landlords which includes questions asking them about any reduction in rent they have agreed in exchange for receiving direct payments. The proportions of landlords who have (a) already reduced rents and (b) would consider doing so in the future will be estimated from survey results which will be available in late spring 2012.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to facilitate a cross-governmental approach on tackling social exclusion.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), chairs the Social Justice Cabinet Committee, which exists to consider issues relating to poverty, equality and Social Justice.
	This Committee facilitates cross-Government working and scrutiny of policies for their effects on some of the most disadvantaged groups on society.
	The Social Justice Directorate in DWP supports the work of the Committee and works across Government to further the Social Justice agenda. We expect to publish a Social Justice Strategy in the new year, which will outline progress to date.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of administration of appeals against (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) employment and support allowance decisions for each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested in shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Direct staff administration cost of appeals 
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Disability living allowance appeals 6.7 6.6 6.5 
			 Incapacity benefit appeals 6.7 5.0 2.7 
			 Employment support allowance appeals 0.2 6.4 12.1 
			 Source: Activity-based management system. 
		
	
	Figures shown cover the last three financial years for which final audited accounts are available. Employment support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. Existing incapacity benefit claimants began migrating to employment support allowance in the latter half of 2009-10.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of excluding from the level of the overall benefit cap (a) child benefit, (b) child tax credit and (c) both benefits.

Chris Grayling: We estimate that the benefit cap will save £225 million in 2013-14 and £270 million in 2014-15 if it is introduced as announced in the 2010 spending review.
	Analysis of the benefit cap is based on a very small sample using survey data, therefore any assessment of options to exempt certain categories of income or groups from the benefit cap is subject to significant uncertainty.
	Estimates suggest that excluding child benefit from the calculation of the benefit cap may reduce these savings by around 40% to 50%, in both years.
	Excluding child tax credit may reduce the savings by around 80% to 90%, in both years.
	Excluding both child benefit and child tax credit would reduce the savings by around 90%, in both years.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to determine the delivery model for universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will be delivered by DWP, through a predominantly online service, supported by telephone and face to face contact where appropriate. We are working collaboratively with existing delivery organisations to ensure that the delivery model takes full account of the needs of different claimant groups. The delivery model will be developed in greater detail in 2012 as a component of the overall design of the universal credit service.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has assessed the universal credit programme against the National Audit Office’s list of common causes of project failure; and if he will place a copy of any such assessment in the Library.

Chris Grayling: The Office of Government Commerce’s paper on “Common Causes of Project Failure” is part of a suite of published best practice (including also “Causes of Confidence”) that officials have used to examine the standing of the universal credit programme, work that sits alongside advice from external experts and internal audit and assurance.
	In terms of assessments, these have been undertaken by the Department’ internal auditors and by the Major Project Authority, in line with the “Major Project approval and assurance guidance” published in April 2011. The most recent Major Project Authority assessment took place between 7 and 11 November 2011. The report from this assessment is confidential to the Senior Responsible Owner and the Major Project Authority and will not, therefore, be published.

Ambulance Services: Rural Areas

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate ambulance resources are available to rural counties.

Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of individual ambulance trusts to ensure that adequate ambulance resources are available to all patients in their area, taking into account the local geography.
	Clinical quality indicators for the ambulance service came into effect from April 2011 and require each ambulance trust to publish the median time to treatment, the 95th centile time to treatment and 99th centile time to treatment for immediately life-threatening (category A) calls. The requirement to publish this data, and in particular the 95th centile and 99th centile time to treatment, will ensure that trusts must demonstrate an excellent service to all patients, whether the incident occurs in a rural or urban setting.

Children: Protection

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recommendations in the intercollegiate document, Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competences for health care staff relating to competences and training of health care professionals.

Anne Milton: A stocktake of safeguarding training for national health service staff undertaken by the Department in 2009 identified a need for greater clarity about what training should be received and how frequently.
	The updated intercollegiate document “Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competences for health care staff” was developed by 14 Royal Colleges and health professional bodies and published in September 2010. It provides a clear framework which identifies the competences required for all health care staff and focuses upon the education and training needed to enable them to acquire and maintain the necessary knowledge and skills.
	As the document states,
	“To protect children and young people from harm, all health staff must have the competences to recognise child maltreatment and to take effective action as appropriate to their role. They must also clearly understand their responsibilities, and should be supported by their employing organisation to fulfil their duties.”
	In response to the stocktake and the intercollegiate document, the Department, strategic health authorities and other stakeholders have worked together to produce a training matrix, to be published online shortly. This will describe learning outcomes, map existing training courses, and outline training pathways for different professional groups, and will complement the intercollegiate document.

Departmental Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Each Minister has an official photograph, as do the most senior members of staff, which are used, for example, in departmental publications. No member of staff is expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties.

Hepatitis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve data collection on hepatitis C at (a) a local and (b) national level; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Anne Milton: The proposed establishment of Public Health England will bring together in a single organisation, the Health Protection Agency with its laboratory surveillance systems, the Public Health Observatories with experience in using hospital episode statistics and the National Treatment Agency for Substance misuse which oversees drug treatment and harm reduction services for people who inject drugs, who are at greatest risk of acquiring hepatitis C. This will provide opportunities for improvement of hepatitis C data collection at both local and national levels.
	Statutory reporting of hepatitis C by diagnostic laboratories testing human samples came into force in October 2010, which will also help improve the completeness of hepatitis C surveillance.

Mayors: Powers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Government’s consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment he has made of powers of his Department which could be devolved to elected mayors.

Simon Burns: As the consultation paper makes clear, the approach we are proposing is to look to the cities themselves to come forward with their own proposals for decentralising services and power to the city mayor.

Mental Health Services: Voluntary Organisations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the involvement of the voluntary sector in mental health treatment.

Paul Burstow: There is already a plurality of providers of mental health services, including many from the private and voluntary sectors. The Government want to go further to ensure that patients and service users will be able to choose ‘any qualified provider' in certain community and mental health services. It is for commissioners to decide locally which services are appropriate for this approach, following engagement with patients.
	Providers must pass a standard qualification process to ensure they meet the appropriate quality standards. The Department has assessed mental health as potentially suitable for any qualified provider, as the needs of individuals are very diverse and a range of innovative approaches may be necessary for ensuring that even the most excluded can be helped to get the care and support they need. The Department has engaged with the mental health voluntary sector while developing the 'any qualified provider' policy.

Primodos

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the drug Primodos; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: During the last 12 months, the Department has had five inquiries from Members of Parliament and 21 direct inquiries from members of the public about the drug Primodos.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the Government agency responsible for the regulation of medicinal products and medical devices, to ensure they comply with agreed standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The MHRA has also received 12 inquiries directly from members of the public.
	A campaigner met with departmental and MHRA officials on 6 December 2010 and 18 January 2011.
	Primodos first became available in the United Kingdom in 1959. Primodos contained norethisterone acetate (10 mg) and ethinylestradiol (0.02 mg), to diagnose pregnancy. One tablet was given to women on two consecutive days.
	The Committee of Safety of Medicines (CSM—which is now the Commission for Human Medicines), kept the issue of hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs) under review throughout the late 1960s and 1970s.
	In 1975 the evidence for an association with congenital defects was inconsistent. However, in view of the emergence of alternative methods of diagnosing pregnancy, CSM took the precautionary step of advising that there was little justification for the continued use of HPTs, including Primodos. In 1978 it was voluntarily discontinued by the manufacturer (Schering) for commercial reasons.
	The current position is that, as far as we are aware, no scientific evidence is available that conclusively proves the existence of a causal link between the use of Primodos and congenital abnormalities.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, columns 876-7W, how much his Department has (a) spent to date and (b) allocated for future expenditure for (i) redundancy payments, (ii) pay in lieu of notice and (iii) additional payments to pensions schemes for staff in primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The 2010-11 NHS (England) Summarised Accounts report expenditure of £221 million in respect of “Termination benefits” in primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2010-11. This comprises redundancy payments and pay in lieu of notice. They also report a cost of £2 million for “Other pension costs” which includes additional payments to pension schemes.
	The impact assessments published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill entering the House of Lords in September 2011 estimated the costs of modernising the national health service and reducing administration costs. This included an estimate of. £634 million redundancy costs for PCT staff associated as a result of the reforms. These redundancy costs include redundancy payments, pay in lieu of notice and payments to pension schemes. So we expect £411 million extra redundancy costs in PCTs on top of those stated in the 2010-11 accounts.
	There is no money centrally allocated for redundancy costs in PCTs: it is all managed locally. The Operating Frameworks for the NHS in England 2011-12 and 2012-13 required PCTs to hold 2% of their revenue allocation for non-recurrent expenditure, including the redundancy costs associated with modernising the NHS. This equates to £1,600 million in 2011-12 and, potentially, a similar sum in 2012-13. Not all of this resource will be required for redundancy costs.

Self-harm

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of statistics on acts of self-harm by (a) boys and (b) young men; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) males and (b) females for each age under 25 years have committed acts of self-harm in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the prevalence of self-harm amongst (a) boys and (b) young men; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: While figures are collected on the number of hospital admissions and the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for self-harm, it is not be possible to determine the overall number of people that commit self-harm. Hospital figures would only reflect those cases that require hospital treatment and would not include those treated in a primary care setting or those who do not seek/require medical attention.
	The following tables show total finished in-patient admission episodes for males and females for each age under 25 and of A&E attendances for intentional self-harm for 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	The prevalence of self-harm is difficult to estimate. “The Adult psychiatric morbidity in England (2007)” survey holds information related to adult self-harm broken down by gender and age and reports that:
	“There was no significant difference in the overall prevalence of self-harm between men and women. However, young women were more likely than young men to report having ever deliberately harmed themselves: 17.0% of women aged 16-24 reported this behaviour, compared with 7.9% of men in the same age group. This variation by sex was not evident in subsequent age groups. This corresponds with data from other sources about changes to the sex ratio in the occurrence of self-harm across the lifecycle.”
	In November 2011, National Institution for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines on “Self Harm (longer term management)”.
	
		
			 Total finished in-patient admission episodes  (1)   for intentional self-harm  (2)   by sex (including unknown) and age (under 25) for each year 2001-02 to 2010-11. Additionally, total A&E attendances for intentional self-harm  (3)   by sex (including unknown) and age (under 25) for each year 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commiss  i  oned activity in the independent sector 
			 In-patients 
			 Sex Age 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 
			 Total for ages 0-24 (inc. unknown)  37,932 34,351 33,852 33,843 31,206 30,769 26,142 24,687 21,906 22,555 
			             
			 Males 0 4 4 2 5 4 6 2 4 2 8 
			 Males 1 11 7 14 12 20 19 18 12 21 15 
			 Males 2 13 12 22 16 25 19 24 22 21 25 
			 Males 3 10 7 7 21 11 11 11 5 11 11 
			 Males 4 3 3 6 5 5 4 4 7 3 9 
			 Males 5 6 3 1 2 5 3 4 7 2 6 
			 Males 6 4 7 4 2 3 1 3 4 4 3 
			 Males 7 4 12 8 1 1 3 2 6 3 5 
			 Males 8 7 3 9 8 8 10 5 10 10 8 
			 Males 9 6 13 8 9 11 15 7 23 9 15 
			 Males 10 8 15 18 16 19 19 16 21 27 32 
			 Males 11 25 35 26 27 38 44 49 58 54 52 
			 Males 12 64 47 82 88 85 81 95 108 97 91 
			 Males 13 100 131 142 145 140 155 174 201 156 181 
			 Males 14 284 222 278 344 343 359 292 337 263 327 
			 Males 15 567 503 532 560 606 533 435 499 469 441 
			 Males 16 655 601 604 618 561 522 495 448 389 394 
			 Males 17 831 822 773 756 660 718 587 500 442 506 
			 Males 18 1,176 1,021 1,071 1,033 990 915 700 653 582 706 
			 Males 19 1,336 1,253 1,206 1,179 1,046 929 826 721 633 813 
			 Males 20 1,293 1,204 1,301 1,132 1,045 1,051 900 821 763 876 
			 Males 21 1,389 1,398 1,228 1,002 1,057 1,033 913 798 762 876 
			 Males 22 1,393 1,289 1,184 1,091 983 951 868 855 834 836 
			 Males 23 1,339 1,063 1,154 1,093 1,002 944 898 909 704 763 
			 Males 24 1,128 1,071 1,046 1,050 965 1,020 952 789 706 724 
			             
			 Females 0 3 3 5 3 8 3 5 4 10 7 
			 Females 1 11 12 6 16 9 23 10 20 12 16 
			 Females 2 14 17 18 8 23 17 11 21 18 19 
			 Females 3 10 9 5 3 6 9 7 12 7 13 
			 Females 4 4 2 3 5 3 5 3 3 6 7 
			 Females 5 3 5 5 4 1  2 3 3 3 
			 Females 6 3 3 3  1 4 4 3 3  
			 Females 7 8 1 1 6 7 4 3 3 5 3 
			 Females 8 3 4 2 4 7 6 4 9 4 7 
			 Females 9 4 1 8 10 11 12 2 20 4 6 
			 Females 10 7 15 14 13 12 11 19 18 13 15 
			 Females 11 44 45 56 54 60 87 58 73 75 69 
			 Females 12 265 220 237 337 286 308 293 318 306 248 
			 Females 13 900 859 920 1,048 956 1,062 962 1,007 899 813 
			 Females 14 2,172 1,917 1,998 2,069 2,079 2,227 1,973 1,980 1,890 1,678 
			 Females 15 2,962 2,749 2,640 2,960 2,828 2,791 2,507 2,651 2,377 2,198 
			 Females 16 2,500 2,319 2,254 2,427 2,130 2,060 1,780 1,570 1,442 1,457 
			 Females 17 2,491 2,321 2,229 2,195 2,013 1,913 1,542 1,419 1,139 1,217 
			 Females 18 2,512 2,323 2,229 2,236 1,990 1,894 1,545 1,286 1,120 1,278 
			 Females 19 2,664 2,176 2,110 2,202 1,876 1,831 1,480 1,261 1,168 1,126 
			 Females 20 2,389 2,093 2,012 1,938 1,687 1,584 1,342 1,176 978 1,150 
			 Females 21 2,109 1,855 1,770 1,742 1,494 1,569 1,152 1,115 936 1,008 
			 Females 22 1,986 1,606 1,637 1,546 1,535 1,425 1,121 1,029 907 965 
		
	
	
		
			 Females 23 1,677 1,568 1,534 1,461 1,309 1,325 1,032 957 843 807 
			 Females 24 1,533 1,481 1,428 1,338 1,214 1,226 969 894 771 721 
		
	
	
		
			 Accident and emergency 
			 Sex Age 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 
			 Total for ages 0-24 (inc. unknown)  39,784 37,803 36,159 
			      
			 Males 0 34 42 38 
			 Males 1 114 91 94 
			 Males 2 108 111 93 
			 Males 3 77 69 72 
			 Males 4 56 58 39 
			 Males 5 53 35 27 
			 Males 6 23 35 27 
			 Males 7 17 28 28 
			 Males 8 20 22 20 
			 Males 9 28 21 28 
			 Males 10 32 41 33 
			 Males 11 48 58 57 
			 Males 12 103 125 130 
			 Males 13 205 219 224 
			 Males 14 386 379 388 
			 Males 15 659 660 704 
			 Males 16 850 935 884 
			 Males 17 1,281 1,181 1,247 
			 Males 18 1,690 1,693 1,502 
			 Males 19 1,877 1,633 1,650 
			 Males 20 1,836 1,767 1,584 
			 Males 21 1,721 1,646 1,371 
			 Males 22 1,569 1,410 1,319 
			 Males 23 1,483 1,411 1,267 
			 Males 24 1,419 1,266 1,274 
			      
			 Females 0 29 36 34 
			 Females 1 98 92 96 
			 Females 2 90 89 86 
			 Females 3 50 51 61 
			 Females 4 39 35 42 
			 Females 5 20 24 28 
			 Females 6 16 16 29 
			 Females 7 13 21 25 
			 Females 8 15 17 13 
			 Females 9 15 13 26 
			 Females 10 32 30 17 
			 Females 11 47 46 41 
			 Females 12 173 167 186 
			 Females 13 566 548 617 
			 Females 14 1,347 1,284 1,308 
			 Females 15 1,849 1,760 1,695 
			 Females 16 2,211 2,123 2,180 
			 Females 17 2,484 2,427 2,294 
			 Females 18 2,735 2,540 2,441 
			 Females 19 2,498 2,375 2,332 
			 Females 20 2,355 2,166 1,986 
			 Females 21 2,020 2,008 1,812 
			 Females 22 1,783 1,824 1,676 
			 Females 23 1,719 1,640 1,559 
		
	
	
		
			 Females 24 1,561 1,468 1,416 
			 (1)  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2 )  Cause codes A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). ICD10 Cause codes used for Intentional self-harm are X60-84 and Y87.0 (3 )  A&E Patient Group A code that indicates the reason for the A&E episode. Group 30 indicates those admitted for intentional self-harm A&E Treatment Treatment is any intervention that takes place during an A&E attendance. For the financial year 2007-08, providers had the option of using one of three different treatment classifications of codes; A&E treatment codes, OPCS-4 and READ-5. For more information on these, visit HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk From April 2008, all providers are mandated to use the A&E classification of treatment codes. Analysis of treatment based on A&E HES data are produced using A&E treatment codes unless stated otherwise. Providers are able to submit unlimited number of treatments for each attendance, however, only the first 12 treatment codes are available in HES. Analysis on treatment in A&E HES is based on the primary treatment code submitted, unless stated otherwise. The coverage and quality of treatment data available in 2007-08 A&E HES is poor and therefore great caution is needed before interpreting this in any way. Further information on the quality and coverage of treatment data are available in the 2007-08 A&E HES publication, which is available on HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk A&E data quality HES are compiled from data sent by a number of NHS providers across England. The NHS Information centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seek to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Accident and Emergency HES data available for the year 2007-08, which covers attendances reported between April 2007 and March 2008. The A&E HES data for 2007-08 is the first record level national A&E attendance data to be available within HES. The current coverage and quality of A&E data in HES is poor and for this reason the dataset has been labelled as 'experimental'. Allowing access to this data will also help stimulate discussion and encourage trusts to improve quality for subsequent releases. The 2007-08 A&E HES publication addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. This report is available on HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.